1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive method by which a plasma display panel is driven according to an input video signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma display devices in which a plasma display panel (referred to hereinbelow as PDP) has a matrix-like arrangement of discharge cells corresponding to pixels are presently manufactured as thin, large-screen display devices.
A PDP has been suggested, (for example, see Japanese Patent Kokai No. 2006-54160) in which the discharge efficiency is increased by introducing a vapor-phase deposited magnesium oxide single crystal performing CL emission having a peak at 200 to 300 nm under electron beam irradiation within a magnesium oxide layer provided so as to cover electrodes in each discharge cell. With such PDP the discharge delay is significantly shortened. Therefore, a very weak discharge can be initiated within a short time with good stability. As a result, the discharge-induced light emission that makes no contribution to the displayed image can be inhibited, and contrast during the display of dark images, that is, the so-called dark contrast can be increased.
However, because the reset discharge that is initiated in all the discharge cells to initialize the discharge cell state is present as the discharge that makes no contribution to the displayed image, the dark contrast is impossible to increase significantly.
Accordingly, a drive method by which a PDP is driven without initiating a reset discharge has been suggested (for example, see Japanese Patent Kokai No. 2001-312244).
However, the problem arising when the reset discharge is not initiated is that subsequent discharges are not initiated with good stability and the possibility of discharge failure increases.